


Leave Nothing to Luck

by VaguelyGenius



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Gen, I do realize this is blasphemy in a ygo fic, Magic: the Gathering - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9462614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaguelyGenius/pseuds/VaguelyGenius
Summary: When Ryou Bakura finds out that there are still living souls in two of the Millennium Items, even after they had supposedly been destroyed, he will stop at nothing to make sure they have another chance at life. (Rated Teen for language)





	

Ryou Bakura was typing up notes for his latest Monster World campaign when the news arrived via group chat. 

> **Yugi:** Guys, Ishizu's expedition just found what was left of the Millennium Items!
> 
> **Téa:** D8   
> 
> **Téa:** OMG! Seriously??
> 
> **Godfather of Games:** what the hell? why was she lookin for em in the first place
> 
> **Yugi:** Well, she didn't want anyone else to find them and stir up any trouble.
> 
> **Téa:** Are they still dangerous?
> 
> **Yugi:** I'm not sure. She says she feels some residual power there still.
> 
> **Tristan:** I vote we get rid of them. They're gold right? Melt them down and drop them in the ocean
> 
> **Godfather of Games:** can we sell them? thats a lotta gold
> 
> **Yugi:** I don't think that's a good idea, guys. The Millennium Items are really my responsibility. It's my job to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands.
> 
> **Tristan:** No offense Yugi but didn't you get the Items stolen from your room once already?
> 
> **Téa:** >:(  Obviously Yugi's going to be more careful this time.
> 
> **Yugi:** Yes, of course! Ishizu said she's going to help me set up a special security system here in the Game Shop. She doesn't want them to fall in the wrong hands either.
> 
> **Godfather of Games:** no idea how youre gonna be able to sleep with those creepy things in your house yug 
> 
> **Godfather of Games:** you sure u dont want to get rid of em
> 
> **Yugi:** Yes, I'm sure.
> 
> **Téa:** I'm sure it'll be alright! We've always come out on top of every creep, loser, and weirdo trying to destroy the world!  :D 
> 
> **Yugi:** Haha, that's true! Though I'm sure this won't escalate to anything that bad. What Ishizu felt was very minimal apparently. I just wanted you guys to know!
> 
> **Godfather of Games:** yeah ill just have a coupla nightmares no big
> 
> **Tristan:** Stop being a baby Joey. It'll be fine.
> 
> **Téa:** Yeah, there hasn't even been a duel tournament announced this week, so obviously there's no danger yet.  XD
> 
> **Yugi:** Haha, true! Seriously, every time I can enter and win a tournament without anything unusual happening feels like a miracle.

The chat devolved into its usual chatter again, and Ryou sat back in his chair.

The Items were back, and had a little bit of power in them still. That was interesting.

 

* * *

 

A couple of days later, Ryou was in Yugi’s living room, playing Portal 2. They had each long since played through all the in-game maps, but the co-op community maps always had new challenges.

Ryou sat back after his P-body was demolished for the third time.

“Damn, this one’s tricky.”

Yugi laughed and waited for Ryou to make it back to his position so they could try again.

“Yeah, no wonder people have been yelling about it in the forums though. Remember when that ridiculously hard puzzle game got released at Black Clown and even the news covered it?”

Ryou looked puzzled.

“No, I don’t remember that one. When did it come out?”

“You must have heard about it, it was right before Battle City was- oh.”

As always, it was awkward when one of his friends remembered that Ryou hadn’t always been around even if he had seemed to be.

“Well, luckily my memory’s been much improved since then. You’ll have to show me that puzzle before I go- I want to check it out! …Though it’s so odd to think that the Items have been uncovered again. It’s a little scary, but at the same time, I can’t help but be curious.”

Yugi paused the game and turned to look at him, eyes wide.

“How did you- oh. The group chat. Of course.”

Ryou hid a frown by having a drink of soda. He had often suspected that the others forgot he was part of the chat since he rarely commented, but there was blatant confirmation. Did Yugi not want him to know about the Millennium Items?

Then Ryou remembered how Yugi had purposely hidden his Millennium Ring from him before. His mood soured, but he did his best not to show it.

“I wonder about what Ishizu felt from the Items. Did you feel it too?”

Yugi nodded slowly, clearly uneasy about the topic.

“Yeah. They’re definitely not the inert hunks of gold I was hoping they would be. It’s not much, but there’s something there.”

“Hm… What do you think it could be? It couldn’t be Zorc, right?”

“I don’t know… But I don’t think it’s Zorc. I really hope it isn’t Zorc.”

“Yugi, could I see them? I wonder if I could sense it too.”

Yugi startled at the idea, and shook his head.

“No way! That’s too risky- there’s no way I could let you be in even the slightest danger from the Items again.”

“Yugi, I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not planning on wearing any of the Items. I just want to see if I can identify what’s in them. I knew Zorc best, after all.”

Yugi’s mouth twisted to the side.

“I don’t know, Ryou. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Yugi. Please. I had that Ring for ten years- I _need_ to know what’s inside it.”

Yugi hesitated, then finally nodded.

“Okay. Stay right here, I’ll bring the Items. But then I’m putting them right back, okay?”

“Okay.”

Ryou watched as Yugi stood up and headed up the stairs towards his bedroom, heart pounding uncomfortably loudly in his ears. He didn’t know how to feel about the idea of seeing the Ring again.

Yugi soon returned with a large case cradled against his chest. He set it down carefully on the kitchen table, and Ryou stood up to join him. The Millennium Items were there, strapped to plush velvet- but they looked like a dog had chewed them them up and spat them out again, mangled and disfigured, half melted and half beaten.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. They’re definitely not as cool-looking as they used to be, haha.”

Ryou didn’t sense anything from the Items, so he reached out to touch them. Yugi jerked as if to stop him, but then paused, just watching Ryou’s hand worriedly. That wasn’t an _explicit_ no, so Ryou reached in and touched one of the hunks of gold.

He felt nothing.

Yugi watched him closely as Ryou let his hands trace over each Item in turn.

Then he felt it. His hand paused on a long, vaguely cylindrical piece of misshapen gold. It must have been the Millennium Rod, and the shadow of despair echoed from it.

It didn't feel like Zorc, he didn't sense any malignant intent. Could it be Marik's other personality, the one that had supposedly almost killed everyone in the Battle City Finals? But he had been destroyed, hadn't he?

Uneasy, Ryou continued to trace the other Items. The next two were empty, but the last one was distinctly _not_.

The presence was intensely familiar and clearly unmistakable- the spirit of the Ring. Ryou recognized the bent spikes now, though the middle of the Ring looked more like a melted frisbee. Though something was different- the horrible, directionless, vicious rage that was Zorc's influence was gone, leaving behind hopelessness and helpless anger. But then it changed- there was a sort of acknowledgement? and a sudden spark of hope-

“I think that's enough. Ryou, I'm putting them away-”

“ **No!** ”

“What? No, Ryou, I'm putting them away-”

“Yugi, **no**. They're in there! You can't leave them trapped like that-”

“ _Who's_ in there Ryou? Bits of Zorc. I'm not endangering this world-”

“ _They're not Zorc!_ Not any more at least- if you can't sense that it's not Zorc yourself, then you're blind! Their souls are there- it's not right to just-”

“Ryou, the Spirit of the Ring and Marik's other personality aren't your friends- I can't believe I have to say this- and the Ring Spirit _possessed_ you for _years_ . They tried to destroy the world and I can't let them do it again. They _are_ pieces of Zorc, even if you think otherwise-”

“Yugi, you said it yourself that you didn't think it was Zorc, you know it isn't Zorc, I know it isn't Zorc and I bet Ishizu knows it isn't Zorc! They're just two lost souls who deserve a new chance at life, to live without-”

“ **_What?_ ** Ryou, **no** , this discussion is over. You can't think straight because the Ring is here, and I was an idiot to let you touch it. Go home, Ryou.”

“No, Yugi, I-”

“I _said_ , **go home, Ryou**.”

The deep concern in Yugi's eyes mixed with unfamiliar anger made Ryou step back from the table, then turn around and run out of the Game Shop.

 

* * *

 

Calling the Kame Game Shop several days later took no small amount of courage.

“Hi Yugi, it’s Ryou. I know what you’re thinking- and yes, this _is_ about the Items, but please hear me out.”

Silence.

“... I’m listening.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry about the other day, I just felt really awful when I thought about how _I_ had felt when I had been trapped in the Ring. And I know you don't trust me around the Items- I know because you've hidden the Ring from me before- but I need you to give me the Ring and the Rod.”

“Why. What are you planning?”

“I've found a way to save them. To bring them back so they can have new lives-”

“ _Save them? Bring them back?_ Ryou, are you _insane_ ? They've tried to kill you several times, and also me, and all of our friends, and also, I don't know, _the whole rest of the world??_ ”

“No, that was Zorc! Zorc is gone!! They're not the paragons of evil they were before- they're people now, and they should get a chance to atone and live a proper life not overshadowed by a demon!”

“Ryou, Zorc or not, they tried to _destroy the world_. What do you think is going to stop them from trying again? And possibly succeeding?”

“How?! You know it yourself- there is no power in the Items anymore, no one can access the Shadow Realm any more. And you know as well as I do that Zorc is gone for good!! Leaving them trapped in there is just an awful, pointless punishment!”

“Honestly, I think that that trying to kill everyone merits some punishment.”

“Yugi, you don’t know how horrible it is in the Items- it’s absolutely awful! At least in the Shadow Realm there are monsters to look at, even if you have to fight them, and the hope of getting rescued! I bet the Spirit of the Ring doesn’t even-”

“Ryou, I said **no** . I will **not** give you the Items, you are **not** going to bring them back, we are **not** going to talk about this any more.”

Ryou realized then that arguing was futile. There was really only one language that Yugi understood.

“I’ll duel you for them. Vintage Magic. Winner takes the Items.”

Yugi was silent for a few moments, then he stammered, “Ryou, no- there’s no way I’m going to-”

“You’re the King of Games- and you haven’t defended your Magic title yet. If I make a public challenge, would you really turn me down?”

“Well- that would certainly be a tough spot, but… I still wouldn’t bet you over the Items! That’s just not…”

Ryou knew Yugi was wavering, but he needed an unequivocal _yes_ , so he used his last resort: “If it’s _really_ your destiny to keep the Items safe, then there’s no way I’d be able to win, would there?”

“Well… no.”

“And even if I managed to bring them back to life, they wouldn’t have any Millennium Items or Shadow powers, so they’d still be caught by the police if they did anything wrong, right?”

“Uh… Yeah… I guess that’s true.”

“So you accept my challenge for a Vintage Magic duel next Saturday at 7 p.m., at your Game Shop, over ownership of what used to be the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Rod?”

A long silence.

“... Yes. I accept your challenge.”

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

Ryou hung up without any further preamble. He had a deck to assemble.

 

* * *

 

That Saturday, at exactly 7 p.m., Ryou arrived at the Kame Game Shop with his Magic deck securely tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket and a messenger bag half full of soft padding. He knocked on the door, and gave Yugi a terse smile when he was let inside.

“Thank you for accepting my challenge.”

Yugi shifted uncomfortably at the thought, but Ryou only had eyes for the table set up on the game shop floor.

“Where is the ante?”

“Oh, right. I’ll go get them.”

Yugi disappeared upstairs, and Ryou took the opportunity to sit down at the table and retrieve his deck. He set it down next to Yugi’s on the custom mat that had been laid out, placed his messenger bag on his lap and took a long drink from the glass of water Yugi had thoughtfully set down for him.

Yugi soon returned with the withered and bent chunks of gold, and he set them down at the table beside the mat.

“Here they are. Hard to believe they almost ended the world a few times, haha.”

Ryou double-checked to make sure that the golden lumps really were what was left of the Ring and the Rod. He felt their presences again- weak, but still there.

“...Yeah. Let’s get started- I’ll go first.”

Startled by Ryou’s brusqueness, Yugi stammered a moment before conceding.

“Umm, yeah. I guess you can go first this-”

Ryou was already shuffling Yugi’s deck, and his pointed look suggested Yugi hurry up in returning the favor.

Yugi obliged, though his discomfort was more than obvious.

They handed their decks back to each other. Noticing that Ryou was obviously not here for any small talk, Yugi drew his first seven cards. Yugi smiled then- he was in his element, facing a worthy opponent on the battlefield, with a solid hand to get him started.

Ryou was not so lucky. Upon viewing his cards, his shoulders slumped before he sat up with renewed determination.

“Mulligan.”

Yugi watched as Ryou shuffled his hand back into his deck and drew six new cards. The blatant desperation in Ryou’s eyes told Yugi that he had drawn another poor hand, and Yugi wondered what kind of deck Ryou was running that was structured strangely enough to give two different awful hands.

“Mulligan.”

Ryou shuffled and drew again, five cards this time. Sweat broke out on Ryou’s forehead, and he looked up at the ceiling as if praying, or perhaps hiding tears. Yugi was seriously regretting agreeing to this stupid duel in the first place.

“M-mulligan.”

With a deep breath, Ryou drew four cards- and his expression changed from despair to triumph in a split second. Yugi flinched backwards in surprise, but Ryou took no notice. He slapped down a card on the field.

“I play Mountain,” Ryou played a second card right next to it, “and Black Lotus to gain three green mana.”

All the fight left Yugi then. He knew now exactly why Ryou had challenged him to Vintage Magic in the first place.

Even though it really wasn’t necessary to even continue, Ryou finished the job.

“With one of the green mana from Black Lotus, I cast Channel, and convert 19 of my own life to colorless mana. I tap Mountain for a red mana, and use it to cast Fireball, along with the 19 colorless mana and Black Lotus’ remaining green mana. That’s 20 damage- I win.”

Yugi dropped his cards onto the playmat and sat back.

“Wow.”

Ryou scooped up his cards, added them to his deck and tucked them back away into his jacket before popping open his messenger bag and carefully tucking in the two misshapen pieces of gold.

“I’ll be taking my prize now- thank you for dueling me today.”

Yugi choked on his laugh.

“Ryou, you didn’t even give me a chance to duel.”

“That’s right. I’ll see you around, Yugi.”

“Wait, Ryou- you’re not really going to try to bring them back, right? It’s dangerous-”

But the shop door was chiming and Ryou was already gone.

 

* * *

 

Ryou had done his research. Few of the books and scrolls he’d needed were publicly available, but everyone at the museum knew Mr. Bakura’s son. He had volunteered there often enough when the museum received large shipments and there weren’t enough employees available to catalogue it all.

That morning, he had set up the components for the ritual, knowing that he’d have the final pieces with him that evening. The Ancient Egyptians had been obsessed with preparing for life after death, and they had even figured out how to house a ba whose body had been lost.

It was incredible how much easier it was to bring the two spirits into the realm of the living than to face off against the King of Games and win. Soon, he was offering a small selection of finger foods, snacks, water and juices to the dazed spirits, and handing them some of the clothing he’d left folded on the couch.

The spirit formerly known as Yami Bakura was now shorter and stockier than ever, with scarred cherry wood skin and steel grey eyes. He blinked, lifting his head off the floor and staring at his own hand.

“How?”

Ryou sat back, a small grin on his face.

“I beat Yugi at a card game.”

The ex-Marik’s hair was wilder than ever, and he rolled onto his stomach with a wince before looking up at Ryou.

“Bullshit.”

Ryou shrugged.

“I bet the Game Shop has security camera footage.”

 

* * *

 

Bakura’s mouth hung open in shock at the grainy grayscale video.

“Holy shit! You one-turn-killed Yugi Mutou, the King of Games?!”

Ryou felt more than a little smug, though he tried to downplay it.

“Well, if I had let him have even the tiniest chance of winning, he would have. You should know that. He doesn’t have the Puzzle’s powers any more, but there’s still no one quite as lucky as Yugi Mutou.”

Kek, as the Marik offshoot decided to call himself, shook his head in disbelief.

“Ryou, how the fuck?! Even if you mulliganed- you got all of those in your hand the first turn?!”

Ryou shrugged.

“I used a completely illegal and stacked version of the Black Lotus deck. Fifteen Black Lotuses, fifteen Mountains, fifteen Fireballs, and fifteen Channels. Even then I had to mulligan three times to get one of each in my hand. Yugi didn’t really have a choice.”

Kek turned to look incredulously at Ryou.

“How the fuck did you get away with _that_ deck?”

“Easy. Yugi would never go through an opponent’s deck before a game, and he only got the chance to see four cards played. I high-tailed it before he could think to ask for my deck recipe.”

Bakura sat back in surprise.

“Wait, how the fuck did you pay for fifteen Black Lotuses? Aren’t those fuckers worth like $30k each?”

Ryou thought of his hectic week trying to scrape together enough cash to assemble the most broken and illegal trading card deck ever.

“I took out a loan on my apartment. And pawned off all of the jewelry you had stolen and stashed in the couch. And blackmailed Seto Kaiba into giving me the rest of the cash. I’m going to sell off the deck now and put all the money back where it belongs though, so don’t worry about it.”

Kek narrowed his eyes at Ryou.

“What?! Isn’t Kaiba going to be pissed off you blackmailed him?”

“He’s a businessman. I think it made him respect me more, actually. I’m planning on giving him back the money anyways. Since you got that video of me beating Yugi at Magic, I bet I can convince him to get each of you some paperwork and a set of vaccines on the house too.”

Bakura looked at him with something in his expression approaching awe.

“You’re crazy.”

Ryou only grinned.

“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yugi is a little harsh here because I needed him to be the antagonist in this case. Though, do consider: Yugi's never been shown protesting any of Yami Yugi's creative punishments, even after he was made fully aware of everything the spirit had been up to. As far as I can remember, Yami Yugi only stopped handing out Penalty Games like Halloween candy after he got guilted over possibly being an evil intelligence in the Items, comparable to Yami Bakura. Yugi's also concerned about keeping everyone safe, while Ryou's definitely put everyone at risk over the Items before.
> 
> I also made the assumption that Ryou's dad owns the apartment- which I'm hoping he does because it would reduce any risk of his only child getting kicked out of his apartment while he was away. 
> 
> Since I know nothing about Magic: The Gathering, the info for this very short duel was taken from the Magic website rules and [this article](http://www.gamenguide.com/articles/14031/20141015/this-is-the-reason-the-black-lotus-is-worth-30000-and-why-that-magic-the-gathering-youtuber-is-right-to-be-excited.htm).
> 
> The code for adding emoji to this fic was provided by [CodenameCarrot](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CodenameCarrot/pseuds/CodenameCarrot) in [this work](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6580324/chapters/15055576), so thank you!
> 
> And a big thank-you to [Sitabethel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sitabethel/pseuds/sitabethel) for betaing!


End file.
